The One With The Potential
by kistenbabe
Summary: Harry has blocks on his magical core, along with other evil spells. Bill Weasley notices them due to him being a Curse Breaker. Hermione supports Harry through this and they spend time together discovering they like one another. Friends (both unlikely and likely) help Harry through the rough times he has. Harry Potter/Hermione Granger.


_**Summary: Harry has blocks on his magical core, along with other evil spells. Bill Weasley notices them due to him being a Curse Breaker. Hermione supports Harry through this and they spend time together discovering they like one another. Friends (both unlikely and likely) help Harry through the rough times he has. Harry Potter/Hermione Granger.**_

_**Rating/Warnings: T for now, lots o' swearing./ Dursleys abuse Harry, Evil!Manipulative!Dumbledore, Good!Kind!Weasleys, Misunderstood!Dark—you'll see ;P**_

_**Disclaimer: I own it all! MWAHAHA! Just kidding. I really only own this story. I don't own the characters, the Queen owns them. I just play around with their lives for fun!**_

_**Pairings: Harry Potter/Hermione Granger (but only in later chapters, they don't get together right away),**_

_**A/N: Hey ya'll! So, I was asked to write a fic for someone. PurpleBullet on **____** wanted me to write this pairing and with this idea they gave me. The idea is loosely similar to one on **____** by teacherbev, but will NOT be the same at ALL; I have read the story by teacherbev, and mine will not be like that at all. I was actually asked to write with this specific idea because PurpleBullet liked the basic plot of the other story, but it hasn't been updated in years and wanted to read a story like that; so, they came to me and I have decided to write it. Ya'll know my other stories have lots of slashy goodness, so this will be my first main pairing as het. It will be lots of fun! I can't wait for this! Since this is fanfiction, there will be major differences from canon. I could list them all, but it will so much more fun for you to read instead! But, this one I have to tell you—Charlus and Dorea Potter, James Potter's daddy and mummy, are still alive! Tada! So, without further ado, let's begin lovelies!**_

_::thoughts:: __** ~Parseltongue~ **_**spells**** letters/papers**

_**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*HP/HG*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **_

"Wait, Professor! What do you mean I have to go back?" A scared voice asks.

"I mean, my boy, that you must go back to your relative's house. The special blood wards there will keep you safe from Voldemort and his Death Eaters." A wizened man answers.

"But sir, I told you, they are—" The small child begins.

"No! You will go back to their house whether you like it or not, you ungrateful little brat. They have fed you and clothed you and housed you for years while getting hardly anything for it. You will go back and enjoy being with your last living relatives. Do you understand me?" He looms menacingly over the overly small, frightened boy.

"Y-yes, sir. I-I understand." The raven-haired young boy bows his head in defeat. It's late and he's just so tired, especially after what has happened in the past few weeks. But, this is an important matter as the end of term is only a few days away and Harry doesn't want to go back to his abusive relatives.

"Good. It seems that it is past curfew. Get back to your dorm. It's not too late in the term to take points, my boy." A twinkle appears in Dumbledore's eyes as he watches the defeated boy drag his feet out the door.

Out in the corridor outside the Headmaster's office, Harry Potter lowers his head and begins to weep softly into his hands. _::It's not fair! He didn't even listen to me! I can't go back to the Dursleys! They said they would kill me if I came back to them, especially if I learned any 'freaky' stuff! What can I do? I know! I-I will just run away! I have loads of galleons in that vault thingie of mine; that should let me stay somewhere in the magical world. Or maybe Ron will let me go home with him, and I can help his family pay for food and stuff.:: _With his thoughts sorted out, Harry swipes at his face quickly and begins back to Gryffindor Tower. Too bad luck wasn't on his side that night.

"Mister Potter…out of bed..past curfew. Just because you are the _Chosen One_..does not mean you have free reign to do what you wish." Severus Snape, dungeon bat and evil, greasy git, drawls as he comes upon Harry. Harry starts at the cold, cruel voice, but quickly tries to cover up the fact that he was crying; he doesn't want Snape to know that he was crying!

"I-I'm sorry, sir. I was talking t-to P-professor Dumbledore and l-lost track of time." Harry explains as he hiccups through the last of his tears.

"Mister Potter…are you..crying? I assure you, the worst I will do is take fifty points from your house. Now, show me a note from HEADMASTER Dumbledore and we shall be on our way." He puts an emphasis on the fact that Dumbledore is the headmaster, not just a professor.

"He-he didn't give m-me one. And I'm no-not crying because of y-you, sir."

"Why then, pray tell, are you crying?"

"Be-because Headmaster D-dumbledore is forcing me to go back to my relative's house for the s-summer."

"And why is it such a bad thing for you, Potter, to be pampered over the summer?"

"Pampered, sir? Where did you get that idea from?!" Harry exclaims incredulously.

"Dumbledore has assured everyone that you are in a loving home, being catered to twenty-four/seven. Is that not the case? And don't think of lying to me boy."

Harry winces when Snape calls him boy, which Snape notices and makes a mental note to remember that specific reaction to the name. "My relatives, sir, hate me and magic. They keep me stuffed in the cupboard under the stairs, and I'm only allowed out to do chores and sometimes once a day to use the loo. Other than that, I stay in there. I'm put in there for punishment too. If I don't do something perfectly, they beat me and then throw me into the cupboard without food; they usually forget I'm in there for several days too, the longest was five days. I am not pampered sir. Not at all." Harry gazes into obsidian eyes, emerald eyes gleaming in remembered pain.

"That's not true! Don't lie to me Potter! I know your grandparents must love you to death!" Snape spits at Harry, making him cringe.

"I…. I have..grandparents?" There is a faint note of hope in his voice. "I was told that all of my grandparents are dead. Aunt Petunia—" Harry is interrupted.

"Petunia? Petunia Evans? Who married Vernon Dursley?" Snape demands to know if that's who Harry means.

"Yea, I guess. I live with Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon and their son Dudley. They are where I have to go to for summer hols."

"He put you with TUNEY? She hates anything magic related!" Snape looks at Harry in a brand new light. _::Have I been wrong this whole time? Has Harry really been abused like he claims? Merlin, how could Dumbledore lie to us like that! He promised that Lily's son would be safe!:: _Looking into Harry's eyes, he can see the truth for himself.

"I know Professor. That's why I asked the headmaster to let me stay at the castle over summer, or to let me stay with the Weasleys. They like me and I could pay them from my vault Hagrid took me to this past summer; it won't last long, but it would be better than nothing."

Snape stares disbelieving at the Potter heir. "Potter, you are the heir to an Ancient and Noble House…you have enough money to buy the Weasley's home hundreds of thousands of times over. And how do you not know about your paternal grandparents? You should have gone directly to them..unless someone interfered…" Snape pinches the bridge of his nose to stop the headache that's forming from going any farther.

"Sir? You..you mean I should have been living with my father's parents instead of mum's sister? Why would someone put me with magic hating muggles?" Harry cocks his head to the side, trying to understand everything Snape has been telling him.

"Listen to me, Potter, and listen well..I shall only say this one time. Draco Malfoy is my godson and I will take him home with me a week after everyone has left the castle; when it's time for everyone to leave, hide somewhere until I come to find you. You must tell me where you've hidden beforehand, obviously, but this way we can try to figure out what has led to this."

"Sir? Why don't I just hide under my Invisibility Cloak? I was given it this Christmas. It was my first ever present. Apparently it was my dad's cloak before me."

"An Invisibility Cloak..? Yes, that will work just fine. Hide under it in the potions classroom while everyone else gets on the train, then Draco and I will come find you. And before you object, Draco is much different than you may think."

"Yes sir. I'll do just like you asked." Harry is determined to get away from the Dursleys.

"Good. I will have to tell Draco what the plan is, but no one else is to know. No one. Do you understand Potter?" Harry nods his head quickly. "Good. Now, let's get you back to your dorm."

They walk back to the tower in silence, Harry lost in thought about why Snape would want to help him. He's always seemed to hate him, so there's no real reason to help him out now. He almost doesn't notice it when they get back. Severus has been thinking about why Dumbledore would want to leave Harry in such a place, where he would be abused and mistreated. Harry fidgets in front of the portrait guarding the tower for a moment, wanting to ask a question, but not wanting to be yelled at. Snape just sighs at him.

"What is it Potter?"

"Well, sir, I was..j-just wondering why you..want to help…me?" Harry asks meekly, staring down at his too-large shoes; they are an old pair of Dudley's, but they didn't fit anymore so Harry got them even though they fit him even less.

"I am helping you because it is the right thing to do. Any abused child should be helped. But, I am also helping because I owed your father a Life Debt, and I promised your mother once she was dead that I would look after you. I can see that I haven't done a well enough job, but I will..try more in the future." 

"Thank you sir." Harry whispers before giving him a quick hug, he's just happy that someone cares about him.

As the portrait of the Fat Lady closes, Severus answers. "You're welcome Harry. I swear to do better by you." A white glow envelops the man, who was expecting it and even welcomes it a little. It means he must do anything to protect Harry, even going against his controlling master.

Harry enters the common room to see that most people are already in bed, save the older years who are studying for tests and his sort of? friend, Hermione Granger. "There you are Harry! I was wondering when you would get back from talking to Dumbledore. Did you get everything situated?" The bushy-haired girl asks.

"Yea Hermione, I got it all taken care of. I'm really tired though, so I'm gonna head on up to bed. G'night Hermione." Harry walks right on through the common room, wanting to just collapse in his bed.

"O-okay Harry. See you in the morning." Hermione says out loud to no one. She looks around the room, noticing that everyone has a friend to talk to or do their essays with. She bows her head and begins to cry into her hands, wishing that she had a good friend to talk with.

_**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*HP/HG*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **_

The next week is strange for Harry. Draco Malfoy, the hated enemy of Harry Potter, was being civil! He didn't try to hex the smaller boy or even say anything snide or mean. It's like he was hit with a personality altering charm; but, it was nice not having to worry about a little blonde ponce attacking you. Even Snape was nice for a change. People were starting to notice that the two Slytherins were being nice to Harry, so they decided to confront him about it.

"Harry? Why has Snape and Malfoy been so nice to you this past week?" Ron asked his best mate.

"Yea Harry, why is the dungeon bat so nice? Are you _persuading_ him to be nice?" A fifth year Gryffindor sneers at Harry.

"Oi! Leave him alone! You guys know that everyone is happy to have summer hols here finally, maybe Snape and Malfoy are just even more excited than us." Fred Weasley says, coming to Harry's rescue.

"Whatever." The mean Gryffindor leaves the common room.

"How are you—"

"Holding up—"

"Harry?" The twins ask in their unique twin speak.

"I'm fine, just wish people would leave me alone."

"Ah, we understand."

"We'll make sure that they—"

"Don't bother you again, little brother." The twins had sort of adopted Harry as the school year went on, and now considers him to be their youngest brother.

"Thanks." The rest of the common room is empty because everyone else is trying to get their trunk together at the last minute. Harry has had his packed for a few days, feeling anxious about going home with Snape. _::Well, he can't possibly be any worse than the Dursleys.::_

_**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*HP/HG*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **_

_**A/N: Hey, so this is short, really short, but I really wanted to get the first chapter out so that you guys can begin telling me how you like it. It will end up being a decent sized story when it's all said and done. Remember, reviews are precious to me! Thanks for reading darlings!**_

_**~Kistenbabe~ :D**_


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